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December 6, 2016December 6, 2016

Is “Mixtape Cole” Dropping An Album?

Once again the world has stopped as “Mr. Platinum with no features” announces that he’s going to drop his album December 9th. All the young impressionable hip-hoppers and women who like 8 Rappers are going crazy right now with high anticipation as “For Your Eyez Only” is officially on the way. I’m more concerned about exactly what J. Cole we are going to get for this project. “Mixtape Cole” or “Album Cole”.

To me, “Album J. Cole” is lazy and boring. This is the part where everybody who started listening at “Can’t Get Enough” and “Nobody’s Perfect” gets upset, but it’s true. I remember the guy from The Come Up mixtape. I remember the guy with the Standout verse on Blueprint 3. That was the guy I wanted to hear. That was the guy from “The Warm Up” and “Friday Night Lights” who sounded hungry and wanted to be the best rapper on the planet. We really don’t get that on J. Cole albums.

I say “really don’t get that” because Cole decided his debut album would be some of his best mixtape songs and a few “industry friend” singles and put it out to an audience who didn’t know him and would partially leave the audience that had respect for him hanging. But hey, that’s the Music Business. That’s still lazy though. You couldn’t give us 10 brand new songs, bro?

Then we got The Truly Yours EP’s. Again, Mixtape Cole strikes and had me believing Born Sinner was going to be a Phenomenal body of work. I was wrong with that feeling.

Born Sinner is the most cleverly disrespectful album of 2013. It’s packaged and promoted as a voice of the voiceless classic from a rapper that has something to say, but when you dissect the bars, he’s rapping about money, chains and banging chicks even though he’s got messed up teeth. How is rapping about a Chain in 2013 “saying something”? Tell me the depth of “Forbidden Fruit” with Kendrick Lamar?

Cole then takes a break because even he realized his core felt abandoned and that Born Sinner project was more Hypebeast than Cult Classic. He also had to take a break because Diggy was honestly giving him the business lyrically on behalf of his sister.

Then 4th quarter of 2014, with one social media post, Cole sets the world on fire letting everyone know “2014 Forrest Hills Drive” would be coming. Now, I will say the lack of marketing, marketing approach was great! I even loved how he went to fans house and played the album for them and really got on his People’s Champ campaign. I was honestly expecting a lot more from the album though.

2014 Forest Hills Drive moves very slow and gets very boring in the middle. He’s 30 rapping about losing his virginity. You can’t really say he’s rapping better than on Born Sinner, so I’m not so quick to say that Born Sinner isn’t the better album. None of that matters though. Cause Cole went platinum with no features and that’s what matters in this climate of rap music. Does Project Pat get a royalty check for “No Role Modelz”?

December 2016. We are expecting another J. Cole album and he’s either going to over deliver or fool me again. Because “False Prophets” and “Everybody Dies” sound like Mixtape Cole is dropping and album and I’m here for that! That’s what I will support and champion with no problem. If those are the only 2 of it’s kind on this new album, I’ll have to fall back permanently. There will be no need to be slanderous or disrespectful. I’ll just chalk it up to “Cole don’t make music for me” and keep it moving.

Mixtape Cole is unapologetic. He vents, he lyrically tries to outdo his last verse and knows that is going to get more respect as well as attention amongst the people of hip-hop culture. Album Cole has been about the new fan and the casual rap fan. The person who needs that song of the summer or just wants a few joints for their streaming playlist. Hip-Hop needs Mixtape Cole right now. It needed Mixtape Cole 7 Years ago.

I am never mad at Cole reusing a lot of the samples Tribe used. He actually does very well on those tracks.

It may not sound like it, but I’m pulling for this Cole Album to be the clear cut best one, because rap music needs it more than my collection does. You drop a shaky 4th album and you fall into that category of dropping albums for yourself and your homeys when you go for the 5th one. Let’s hope Mixtape Cole has some music for sale to close out 2016.